


Mirage

by Garak



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action, Angst, Bumbleby - Freeform, Drama & Romance, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, a little dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 15:47:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20603321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garak/pseuds/Garak
Summary: Separated from her team mates in the Vacuo desert, Blake confronts the shadows of her past.





	Mirage

Mirage

“_They don't really love you.”_

Blake ignored the voice and focused on the massive griffon that slashed her double into ribbons of shadow. Darting to it's rear, she sliced at its haunches with her cleaver. The monster screamed and kicked out in fury, dashing another clone out of existence – but not before the voice spoke again.

“_They're better off without you.”_

Gritting her teeth, Blake rolled under the grimm, her sword folding into its pistol form with a click. She fired point blank into the soft underbelly. Shrieking, the griffon thrashed it's wings and clawed into the air. Blake covered her head as gusts of wind whipped up the desert sand.

Taking advantage of her prone position, the beast dove and crashed into Blake. Talons raked and its wicked beak stabbed only to come away empty. It stared down in confusion, head tilting side to side giving each glowing red eye a view of it's prey.

“_You're just a coward.”_

“Tell me something I don't know.” Blake muttered as her clone shimmered away.

Blake hurled her sword at the side of griffon to easily slip between prominent ribs. It roared again and she yanked on the ribbon, pulling her weapon free. A gout of black ichor sprung from the wound, quickly evaporating as it hit the baking ground.

The griffon was cautious now and Blake slowly circled around it, using the opportunity to steady her breathing. The respite was short lived as hate eventually overcame survival and the grimm tore forward, claws ripping furrows in the sand. It screamed in frustration as it ploughed through another duplicate.

“_You fail at everything.”_

Blake fired, the rounds deflecting off the grimm's bone mask. She faded back and left a clone to continue running forward as a decoy.

“_You're tainted, disgusting.”_

Another quick attack, another shadow left to take the counter.

“_You'll never be any good.”_

“Shut up.” Blake hissed.

Neatly carving through the tendons of a rear leg, Blake flipped away as the griffon stumbled around to face its attacker. Feeling her aura reserves getting low, she planned to finish the fight on the next exchange.

Ducking in again, Blake went for the throat. The griffon reared back, readying talons that glinted in the harsh sunlight. She slipped to the side, invisible as a shadow continued her mad charge. The grimm slammed down upon the distraction and Blake went for the kill.

“_She's only with you out of pity.”_

Blake stumbled. Her mind buzzing with the echo of the mocking voice. An unblinking crimson eye filled her vision as the griffon's flailing head crashed into her. Flashes of sky assaulted her as she tumbled across the sand to land in heap. She spluttered around a mouthful of bitter grit, shaking her head hard to dislodge grains of sand from both sets of ears.

Years of always being on guard saved her. Blake instinctually rolled away from the griffon's pounce, its beak buried into the spot where she once lay. Blake's arm snaked out and drove her sword into the grimm's eye, snuffing out the red glare. It reared back with a piercing scream, dragging Blake to her feet as she desperately held onto her weapon. Summoning strength, she twisted the blade cutting the shrieking short. The griffon slumped forward, dead.

Blake fell backwards onto the sand, gasping. Her fist pounded the ground.

“You see that, you damned shadow?! I finished it without you!” She shouted.

Straining her ears, Blake could only make out the fading echoes of her voice bouncing around the dunes. She nodded, satisfied the voice was silenced. It had been vocal lately, more so than usual. A dark muttering of self-doubts and fears. Always looking for a weak point to worm its way into. To drag her back into shadows. She needed to kept it out this time.

Blake had a promise to keep.

Sweat on her brow evaporated under the relentless sun as quickly as the grimm dissipated into oily smoke. She frowned, realising she was ill equipped for an extended stay in the Vacuo desert. Sitting up, Blake traced the rising smoke up and sighed; it only rose slightly above the surrounding dunes. _So much for the cost effective way of signalling_, she thought.

Rifling through the clips at her belt, Blake's eyebrows knitted together as she checked the stamps on the metal. She checked again. Panic bubbled up when she couldn't find the clip containing the flare ammo. She scanned the battlefield, a vast, spread out mess of disturbed sand. Her sharp eyes found nothing on the surface. The clip could be buried anywhere, digging around for it in the hot sand would take hours. Glancing up she noted the sun steadily rising to it's zenith. No shade, no water, a rapidly rising temperature, and no way to signal her team. Staying put was not a great option.

Blake grunted as she slogged up the nearest dune to survey her surroundings. Arriving at the crest, she turned around, hand shading her eyes as she looked for any landmarks. Sand dunes stretched to the horizon.

“And Sun said Vacuo had a lot to offer.” she said bitterly_._

Blake sat down and crossed her legs, chin resting in the palm of a hand, and considered her options. It was pure chance she was facing the right direction as a golden flare bloomed in the distance. She smiled. Using her dusty compass to set the bearing before the light fizzled out, Blake set off towards the source.

Weaving around dunes when possible, Blake maintained an even pace to reserve strength. Still, the heat bleed the moisture from her body; her tongue felt as dry as the sand grinding underfoot. Stopping, she pulled off her loose blouse and the grimy tank top underneath. Shrugging back into the shirt, she then tore the other top to use as a makeshift head wrap, cursing herself for not thinking of it earlier. Better protected from the sun, she trudged on.

Oppressive heat distorted the air, and Blake's thoughts wandered. Memories of Atlas danced by as she remembered the biting cold with fondness. Maidens and monsters, plots and enemies, racism and hate. Their short stay in Atlas was one disaster after another. A flash of gold and a brilliant smile raced through her mind. Blake bite her lip, _I guess it wasn't all bad..._

“_You don't deserve her.”_

Blake jumped at the whisper in her right ear. Heart hammering, she spun around she found a smirking clone shimmering like a mirage.

“Great, my brain is cooking.” Blake said, rolling her eyes at the fading illusion.

“_She pities poor, broken Blake. Does she know you can't be fixed?” _

Another whisper from her right, another shadow warping in the broiling air.

“Come on Blake, keep it together. It's just a little heatstroke.”

Closing her eyes, Blake took a couple of calming breaths and counted to ten slowly. She opened them to a clone twirling lazily in front of her.

“_You can't keep it together, Blakey. You don't have all the pieces.”_

This was new.

“_Dashed onto the floor, smashed to bits.”_ the shadow taunted, _“You remember the floor, Blakey? It was so cold on your back.”_

Blake shivered despite the heat. The clone skipped around her.

“_Stabbed then stabbed. You cried out her name but Adam took and took.” _the shadow sang.

“Adam's gone.” Blake said firmly, folding her arms.

“_Gone away.” _the shadow agreed, _“Took a piece with him. Gone, gone forever.”_

Blake bristled. “Shut up. He can't hurt us any more.” she snarled.

The shadow danced up, an ethereal hand stroked Blake's cheek. _“But his touch lingers. It stings, and bites, and burns. Corrupts and spreads.”_

Blake swiped at her clone and it vanished with a giggle and reappeared out of reach.

“_Will you taint her? Share the sickness?” _it mocked.

“I know what you're doing, you can't make me leave this time. I made a promise.” Blake growled.

“_Yes, cannot leave. Too weak to let go. So you stay, to take and take.”_

“Stop it! I'm not like him!” Blake screamed.

Unsheathing her sword, Blake swung wildly at the shadow. Each time she sliced one apart another would spring up, laughing. Her arm burned and chest heaved as she furiously lashed at the endless army. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as it laboriously worked thickened blood through her body. Finally, the shadow winked out of existence, consuming the last of her aura. Blake collapsed to her knees, exhausted. A faint whisper spoke in her right ear.

“_Adam is gone, leaving only a shadow. Inky and black. What will you take, Shadow?” _

Blake's eyes prickled but no tears spilled out. She was dimly aware that it was a bad sign, yet couldn't bring herself to care. A muffled yell could be heard through feline ears flattened under her head wrap. She raised her head to another shimmer cresting a dune, watching as it slide down and wondering what was coming to torment her this time.

“Blake!”

The figure draw closer and Blake's eyes widened. Blonde hair pulled into a ponytail bounced as they jogged up. The pack they carried rattled and clanked with each step. No illusion this time, not with that racket.

“Yang...” Blake whispered.

Skidding to a stop, her partner dropped down and began to check Blake over.

“Gods, you're on fire! Are you alright?” Yang asked.

“Water.” Blake croaked.

Pulling the canteen from her side, Yang flicked the top and held it to Blake's cracked lips.

“Small sips first.” She said.

Tipping the canteen, a small amount trickled over Blake's tongue, warm with a metallic tang. It was the best drink she ever had. Strength seeped back into her limbs as she sipped. Taking the canteen with a shaky hand, she let Yang fuss over her and apply a cooling gel, the tiny ice dust crystals activating to leech the excess heat from her body.

“It was lucky I heard you shout, I've been walking for hours looking for you.” Yang said.

“Hours?” Blake asked, puzzled. Looking up she found the sun hanging low in the sky. _Lucky indeed._

Yang nodded. “How far did the griffon carry you?”

“Don't know. Far.” Blake said with a weak shrug.

“A flare or two would have found you sooner, you know.” Yang grumbled, smearing the soothing ointment over Blake's face.

“Lost them in the fight. I saw yours.”

Yang rocked back onto her heels and gave Blake a critical once over.

“You're well done, but it's nothing water, aura, and sleep won't fix. I guess we're camping here.” She said.

Standing, Yang walked a few steps and cocked a gauntlet. Firing two shots straight up, the flare rounds exploded brightly then hung burning in air, aided by gravity dust. A few seconds later a red flare light up over the dunes south of their position. A blue flare in the north-east followed shortly after.

“They're closer than I thought, should be here shortly.” Yang commented, grinning.

Eyes drawn to her partner, Blake studied Yang. Golden hair burning in the late afternoon sunlight, bare shoulders a healthy bronze. There's the familiar pang of guilt at Yang's prosthetic arm, almost lost in the giddy, heady feeling that dominated her senses as she greedy drank in the rest of her.

“Like what you see?”

Blake hoped her blush was lost in her sunburn.

“Maybe.” She said turning her head away.

“Acting coy again?” Yang joked, “I'll get you to open up one of these days.”

The clone's words stabbed out from the dark. “You wouldn't like that.”

“Oh? What makes you so sure?”

“Because...” _I'm selfish and can only take because what on earth can I offer you? All I am is tainted fragments. And I'm too much of a coward to speak these words out loud._

“Because?”

“Nothing, it's... nothing.” Blake said, hanging her head.

The sand crunched as she heard Yang walk up and squat down in front of her. A gentle hand lifted her chin and turned her head to face Yang.

“What's wrong? You're more withdrawn than usual.”

Blake's face screwed up, “I don't deserve you!” she choked out.

Strong arms pulled Blake into a fierce hug. She tensed then struggled against it, fists bouncing uselessly off Yang's aura.

“Let go! I don't want this any more!”

Yang remained silent, holding her fast.

“I want to break up!” Blake spat.

“Then we break up.” Yang said, still not budging.

Blake froze.

“I'm not Adam, I'll back off if that's what you want.” Yang said simply.

The grip loosened and Yang leaned back to look Blake in the eyes. Tears streamed down, leaving trails over her dusty cheeks.

“There is one thing I need to make clear before we end this, Blake Belladonna. I get to decide who deserves me, nobody else.” Yang said earnestly.

Blake reached up and stroked Yang's wet cheek.

“Only you?” She asked.

“Only me.”

“Who decides who deserves me?”

“Also me.” Yang said with a firm nod.

Blake snorted. “So I get no say in this?”

“None.” Yang replied with a grin.

Sitting up straight, Blake struggled to find the words.

“I don't want to break up. But I can't let you in.” She said carefully.

Yang frowned.

“Not yet.” Blake added hastily. “I promise you I will.”

“I know you will.” Yang said, taking Blake's hands in hers.

A sudden impulse came over Blake and she darted in to deliver a soft kiss, lingering briefly before leaning back. Eyes wide, Yang reached up touched her lips.

“You kissed me?” she said, stunned.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe you should do it again then. Just to make sure.” Yang said, raising an eyebrow.

Blake obliged with another quick peck on the lips.

“That was kind of like a kiss.” Yang mused, “Maybe one more to confirm?”

Blake playfully slapped Yang on the shoulder. “Are you comparing mine? How many people have you kissed?”

“No one I swear!” Yang laughed, putting her hands up. “It's just hard to tell without more data.”

“Mm? So how many more before you're satisfied.” Blake purred, looping her arms around Yang's neck.

“How many you got?”

Blake leaned in, stopping when she heard sniggering in the background.

“You guys are so sappy!” Ruby said.

“Ruby! What the hell.” Yang exclaimed, untangling herself from Blake.

“Stop teasing them, Ruby. I think it's sweet.” Weiss said.

“And Weiss! How long have you guys been then?”

“Long enough, to be grossed out.” Ruby said, mock gagging.

“You're so dead.” Yang said, scrambling to her feet.

As Ruby ran squealing from her sister, Weiss wandered over and offered Blake a hand.

“So,” she said, pulling Blake to her feet.

“So?”

“First kiss.”

Blake looked at Weiss sideways. “I'll give you the details later.”

Weiss smiled and patted her on the arm before walking off to scold Ruby.

Watching her team mates antics, Blake smiled as a thought occurred to her. Adam may have stolen pieces of her but it didn't mean they couldn't be replaced. She didn't need to take from her friends to fill in the gaps, they freely offered a piece of themselves. And she did have something to offer Yang. It was small, chapped, and probably tasted like sand.

But it was real and hers to give.

**Author's Note:**

> Another prompt from r/RWBY: Blake's clones start talking to her. Seemed simple enough, may have taken it too far though. How did I do? Let me know! Feed back welcome.


End file.
